Whether Thomas, at 39 and out of the NHL for a full year, is still capable of high-end goaltending is an unanswerable question. He was good in 2011-12 with the Boston Bruins, but a year away from game activity is a major variable for a player at any age, let alone one who is exiting an already late prime.

With Theodore out of the picture and Clemmensen injured, it's understandable that the Panthers aren't eager to throw Markstrom, 23, out there on his own—or in front a defense that allowed an average of 31.3 shots per game last season and is largely unchanged for 2013-14.

The #FlaPanthers I spoke to seem genuinely excited for Tim Thomas. Say his work ethic will help Markstrom

"No one works harder than he does," Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell, who played with Thomas in Finland during the 2004-05 lockout season, told reporters in Florida. "I enjoyed my time playing with Tim. He's a great goalie, a great battler and a great person. Him coming here is a bonus for us. We feel we have two strong goaltenders here, but if you can add a piece like this, it's not going to hurt you."

So, enter Thomas. He wanted a chance to start, and he's got it. The Panthers, at bare minimum, have another set of training wheels for their goalie of the future. The 31st pick in 2008, Markstrom has ability and, at 6-6, covers a crazy amount of space. At times last season he put it together—in nine of 23 appearances, he posted a save percentage of .923 or better. He also had six of .818 or worse.

"It doesn’t matter who they (bring) in," Markstrom said earlier this week. "I don’t put a lot of thought in that. If it happens, it happens and we’ll deal with it then. But my thoughts and my mind-set, it’s all on myself and trying to be as good as possible right now."